Gaming PC - £350 - £500 budget

[bwebo287]

Hi guys,

I haven't decided whether to build a PC or to find a pre-built machine, but I want to make sure I get the best one for the right price. My budget in the title would include an OS (preferably Windows 7 64-bit)

My intentions are to mainly play games but also to be able to do work using basic software. Also, I would prefer to be able play some of the most demanding games on decent quality settings.

I can't seem to find the right PC. I have been thinking these specs:
8GB RAM
500GB Hard Drive
Not too sure what GPU and CPU combination is needed exactly, which is where I need help.

Is my budget too low and am I dreaming of the perfect PC?

Thanks.

 

[zemiak]

Do you need everything? Operating system/speakers/mouse/keyboard/monitor? What exactly do you need. If you don't need all of that, then I came up with this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2vcZv

 

[Romeru]

500£ is fine, but it can depend on where you live as prices are different depending on country.
If you want to play high-end games i personally think you should get Windows 8 as framerates have been a lot higher there. And it will last you longer. If you still want a start button i can recommend that you download classic shell, (Basicly the same old start button but a lot more customizable).
http://www.classicshell.net/

For cpu and and gpu i can recommend these two:
FX-6300 (overclockable)
EVGA gtx 650ti boost (nice overclocking performance)
a 550w psu will do fine, don't know which one though.

 

[bwebo287]

Do you need everything? Operating system/speakers/mouse/keyboard/monitor? What exactly do you need. If you don't need all of that, then I came up with this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2vcZv

That looks good, only operating system because I imagined I could find cheaper mouse and keyboard on ebay or something. Thanks I'll look into those parts.

 

[zemiak]

I would recommend Windows 8 like Romeru said, frame rates have been higher there.

 

[bwebo287]

500£ is fine, but it can depend on where you live as prices are different depending on country.
If you want to play high-end games i personally think you should get Windows 8 as framerates have been a lot higher there. And it will last you longer. If you still want a start button i can recommend that you download classic shell, (Basicly the same old start button but a lot more customizable).
http://www.classicshell.net/

For cpu and and gpu i can recommend these two:
FX-6300 (overclockable)
EVGA gtx 650ti boost (nice overclocking performance)
a 550w psu will do fine, don't know which one though.

Thanks a lot for the reply, I had no idea you could do that on Windows 8, I will definitely bear that in mind.

Will look into that combination, not really one I've seen, thanks.

 

[bwebo287]

This is what I have, what reductions should I make to get this down to £500 - £525, if I were to increase my budget?

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vtUB

 

[zemiak]

Yea, try this. I have a Raidmax power supply 630W and it works just fine, so I chose one here.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vztk

Edit: Ignore this comment, there are compatibility issues, ill fix it.

 

[zemiak]

This is about the best I can do without changing something more important like the Power Supply or the Processor: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vAC5

Here is another option with a 500W Power supply: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vB1S

Edit: To get a build under 500 You would have to sacrifice something important, such as maybe downgrading to a 4-core processor instead of 6. I would just save up a little extra money and go with one of the options in this comment.

 

[bwebo287]

This is about the best I can do without changing something more important like the Power Supply or the Processor: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vAC5

Here is another option with a 500W Power supply: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vB1S

Edit: To get a build under 500 You would have to sacrifice something important, such as maybe downgrading to a 4-core processor instead of 6. I would just save up a little extra money and go with one of the options in this comment.

Thanks a lot for the feedback!